Introducing Me: Full-Time Degree Seeking Guy

Quit job. CHECK.

Start Higher Education Student Affairs Program. CHECK

Gain part time job. FAIL.

Gain lots of time to volunteer. CHECK.

Well, I suppose 75% is better than 0%, right?

Since this is an introduction, let me tell you just a few tidbits about my personal life now because I know you’ll learn much more about me in the coming blogs. I am a young professional too close to thirty but not there yet who graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor’s in Communication. I was highly active as an undergraduate, which is the reason for selecting Student Affairs as my field of choice.

Family is important to me, and I am close with my parents who live about an hour away and my younger brother who is currently overseas serving with the Marine Corps. I think we are close partly because we went through a lot when I came out in 2009 at the age of 25. It was an interesting process, owing to the fact that I also had to come out to my co-workers at the university I was working at as well as my family and friends. There were definitely highs and lows and that whole period in my life has really given me quite a perspective on life.

Some of my hobbies include playing the violin, piano and guitar, composing, writing, and reading. I’m an avid movie-goer, love cooking, and am recently into working out and exercising. I love pandas, and have a vast collection of panda knick-knacks and stuffed panda bears. I cherish time hanging out with my friends, family and fraternity brothers whenever I can in between classes and volunteering for my fraternity.

A bit about my professional life, I transitioned into the field immediately after graduating with my undergraduate degree. I was originally in the Office of Special Events. However, as budget cuts plagued the higher education institutions of Michigan, our office was eliminated and I was forced to find another position. Luckily I was able to join the Office of Student Life, as a part time support staff member to help with the institution’s transition to a residential campus. The following year I joined as a full time staff member. Over the next five years, I helped grow and guide the Office of Student Life into a robust area of the university. I have vast experiences with student organizations, student events, university events, student organization centers, student leadership programs, Greek Life, orientation, university finances, university contracts and liability information, and advising.

After five years of working in the trenches and slowly working my way up to Student Activities Coordinator, I realized I needed to acquire my Master’s degree in order to attain the opportunities that I would like to have.

Thus came my decision:

Option A) Go part-time to school, commute an hour to my classes, and earn my degree in 3-4 years

or

Option B) Leave my current position and pound out a degree within 2 years.

After talking with my colleagues and mentors, as well as friends and family, I took the bold move to put my career on hold, leave my position and get that degree.

Thus, in August of 2012, I moved with my partner to lower Michigan and began a full load of courses at one of the several public universities in the greater Detroit area. I unfortunately was unable and still unable to obtain a Graduate Assistantship, which is frustrating, but I’ll leave that to another blog. Rather, I took on a volunteer position with my respective fraternity to keep me busy.

Now, with one term under my belt and getting my second underway, I’ve come to several realizations:

  1) Me and no job = Learning how to bake and adding 13 more pounds onto my figure.

  2)  Library = It really does exist and has become my 2nd home.

  3) Coffee = Homework completion.

  4) Applying for jobs = Even more tedious and stressful .

  5) Life has too many ironies such as; I don’t know as much as I thought I did, but I know more than I thought I did.

  6) Students = Heartache: I miss everything good, bad and ugly about them.

I am eagerly waiting to see how some of these realizations help me figure out what functional areas of Student Affairs I am strongest in.

And all that brings you up-to-date with me. I hope that you learn, laugh and experience with me over the next few months as I tackle my second term as a graduate student and what it’s like to go Back to [Grad]School.